The San Antonio Botanical Garden is a 33-acre (130,000 m2) non-profit botanical garden in San Antonio, Texas, the United States, and the city’s official botanical garden. The garden was first conceived in the 1940s by Mrs. R. R. Witt and Mrs. Joseph Murphy, who organized the San Antonio Garden Center. The two developed a master plan for a city botanical center in the late 1960s. The site of the master plan was a former limestone quarry, and the city owns waterworks. Voters approved $265,000 in bonds in 1970, which was the catalyst for funding the new gardens. The ground was broken for the new facilities on July 21, 1976, and the San Antonio Botanical Gardens officially opened to the public on May 3, 1980.
The gardens have had two major additions since opening. On February 29, 1988, the Emilio Ambasz designed Lucile Halsell Conservatory opened to the public. Later that same year, the historic Sullivan Carriage House was moved to the botanical garden brick by brick. Restoration of the building began in 1992, with a formal dedication in 1995. The botanical gardens are also undergoing an extensive expansion project, including expanding some of the gardens, a local farmers market, and more parking. EZ Bed Bug Exterminator San Antonio
Features
- Lucile Halsell Conservatory (1988) – Designed by award-winning Argentinian architect Emilio Ambasz this subterranean structure consists of five climate-specific greenhouses surrounding a central courtyard. Specimens housed in the structure include alpine plants, aquatic plants, cacti and succulents, carnivorous plants, epiphytes, ferns and aroids, tropical fruits, and palms and cycads.
- Kumamoto En (roughly 85 feet (26 m) by 85 feet) is a Japanese garden reflecting styles and techniques from Kumamoto’s 300-year-old Suizenji Park and Katsura Detached Palace garden in Kyoto.
- Native area – plants and structures from the East Texas piney woods, Texas Hill Country, and South Texas.
- Sullivan Carriage House (originally constructed 1896, relocated 1988) – designed by noted architect Alfred Giles for banker Daniel J. Sullivan. The structure was relocated, brick by brick, in 1988 from its original location in downtown San Antonio to the Botanical Gardens. The building was fully restored and dedicated in 1995. The structure now serves as the main entrance to the gardens, and its former stables and carriage house contain a restaurant, gift shop, offices, and event and meeting space.
Restaurants and Pubs
- Whataburger is located at 3130 Broadway, San Antonio, TX
- The Winchester is located at 5148 Broadway, San Antonio, TX
- Rumble is located at 2410 N St Mary’s St #3736, San Antonio, TX
Check out other attractions like Japanese Tea Garden